1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of brassieres, particularly to a brassiere of the padded type.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to Wikipedia “brassiere measurement refers to determining what size of bra a woman wears and mass-producing bras that will fit most women. Bra sizes usually consist of a number, indicating a band size around the woman's torso, and one or more letters indicating the breast cup size. Bra cup sizes were invented in 1932 and band sizes became popular in the 1940s.
The term “cup” was not used to describe bras until 1916 when two patents were filed.
In October 1932, the S.H. Camp and Company were the first to measure cup size by the letters of the alphabet, A, B, C, and D, though the letters represented how pendulous the breasts were and not their volume.
To mass produce bras, manufacturers size their bras to a prototypical woman called a “fit model”.
A fit model is used by an apparel company as the “ideal” body type for whom the bra is designed. The fit model is chosen on her body size and proportions with the goal of representing all of the people in the target market. Once the fit has been perfected on these models, the patterns are graded and the bra is made. The traditional bra cup is not shaped to conform to variations in the human female breast. In prior art, the cup of the bra angles upwardly and outwardly from an underwire (or wireless) attachment point, leaving little allowance for differences in breast shape, spacing and body type. Manufacturing a well fitting bra is a challenge since the garment is supposed to be form fitting but women's breasts can vary in volume, width, height, composition, shape and position on the chest. Manufacturers make standard bra sizes that provide a “close” fit however even a woman with accurate measurements can have a difficult time finding a correctly fitted bra. Manufacturers may size and design bras to different standards of an “ideal”. The fit model is the determining factor of the fit of the bra. Even if a woman has the exact same measurements as the fit model the bra may not fit as current industry measurements don't account for breast and body variations”.
In the study “Size Prediction For Plus Size Women's Intimate Apparel Using A 3-D Body Scanner” by K. Pandarum it says:    “Studies conducted by Keiser et al indicated that the current methods of creating sizes and analyzing garment fit are:    1) based on measurements of “one ideal customer embodied in a single fit model”;    2) adjusted for additional sizes by using “grade rule from base pattern”; and    3) visually evaluated on the fit model and in “two dimensions” by comparing linear garment measurements to linear garment measurements.
Brown and Rice went further stating that the fit of the garment is dependent on five elements, namely the (1) Grain, (2) Set, (3) Line (4) Balance and (5) Ease. With Shin reporting that in the elevation of the proper fit of a bra, “tension”, is replaced by “ease”. The stretch material of the wing of the bra accommodates the “negative ease” estimated to be between 10 to 15 centimetres from the actual ribcage circumference. Hence the fabric properties and selection are also important criteria in the proper fitting of a bra”.
“Sizing in Clothing Developing Effective Sizing Systems for Ready to Wear Clothing” Edited by S. P. Ashdown states:
The assumption that garment sizing replicates body sizing has channeled research in the direction of describing the human body and creating body sizing systems which are then transferred onto apparel to create garment sizing systems. Garment fit however, depends on the amount of ease added above and beyond the body measurements for comfort and style and these amounts are not necessarily equal for all sizes. In an ideal fit test scenario in order to refine a sizing system a garment pattern can be recreated for each size and fit tested and adjusted on a person that is representative of that body size group. Once the garment patterns are adjusted for all sizes, the garment sizing system including appropriate experimentally derived ease values will be apparent. Created in this way, the garment body-sizing system will not necessarily replicate the intersize intervals of the body sizing system it fits (Watkins 1995).
“Problems with garment fit may arise from the current industry practice of setting sizing systems namely sizing up and down the measurements of a garment perfectly fitted to a single person called a fit model, by applying the grades of a standard body sizing system. In this way the garment sizing system is set equal to the body sizing system and the garment is fitted to one individual only instead of to a group of subjects representative of a whole target population. Factors that influence garment fit in this scenario include the fit model, who essentially sets the starting point for the size scale and might not be representative of the target population and the body size grades, which might not be appropriate for the targeted population. Also, the assumption that garment grades equal body grades might be false, i.e. ease might be size dependent and therefore the comfort and or style/ease chosen may be inadequate across different sizes, etc. In such cases the only way to evaluate the original body sizing system is through indirect evaluation of the garment sizing system. A closely fitted style of garment manufactured in all sizes of the sizing system can be fit tested by a representative sample of the target population to evaluate how well it will provide garments that fit the population as a whole. Effectively what is being assessed is the garment sizing system but, since the ultimate goal of body sizing construction for apparel is to provide well fitted clothing, garment sizing evaluation is preferable. During that evaluation one is identifying that group of subjects whose bodies fit the created set of garments well.
In the optimization approach the persons left out of the system may have measurements closer to the average along the control dimensions but may have been excluded from the system because no combination of the dimensions used in the optimization was close enough to their body measurements as a set. This means that there will be some people who despite their expectations will not be able to find a garment that fits them well.
According to Wikipedia, “the morphologic variations in the size, shape, volume tissue density, pectoral locale, and spacing of the breasts determine their natural shape, appearance, and configuration upon the chest of a woman; yet such features do not indicate its mammary-gland composition (fat-to-milk-gland ratio), nor the potential for hormonal nursing an infant child. The size and the shape of the breasts are influenced by normal-life hormonal changes (thelarche, menstruation pregnancy, menopause) and medical conditions (e.g. virginal breast hypertrophy). The shape of the breasts is naturally determined by the support of the suspensory Cooper's ligaments the underlying muscle and bone structures of the chest, and the skin envelope. The suspensory ligaments sustain the breast from the clavicle (collarbone) and the clavico-pectoral fascia (collarbone and chest), by traversing and encompassing the fat and milk-gland tissues, the breast is positioned, affixed to, and supported upon the chest wall, while its shape is established and maintained by the skin envelope.
The base of each breast is attached to the chest by the deep fascia over the pectoralis major muscles. The space between the breast and the pectoralis major muscle is called the retro mammary space and gives mobility to the breast. Some breasts are mounted high upon the chest wall, are of rounded shape, and project almost horizontally from the chest, which features are common to girls and women in the early stages of the larchic development, the sprouting of the breasts. In the high-breast configuration, the dome-shaped and the cone-shaped breast is affixed to the chest at the base, and the weight is evenly distributed over the base area. In the low-breast configuration, a proportion of the breast weight is supported by the chest, against which rests the lower surface of the breast, thus is formed the inframammary fold (IMF). Because the base is deeply affixed to the chest, the weight of the breast is distributed over a greater area, and so reduces the weight-bearing strain upon the chest, shoulder, and back muscles that bear the weight of the bust.
The chest thoracic cavity progressively slopes outwards from the thoracic inlet (atop the breastbone and above to the lowest ribs that support the breasts. The inframammary fold, where the lower portion of the breast meets the chest, is an anatomic feature created by the adherence of the breast skin and the underlying connective tissues of the chest; the IMF is the lower-most extent of the anatomic breast. In the course of thelarche, some girls develop breasts the lower skin-envelope of which touches the chest below the IMF, and some girls do not; both breast anatomies are statistically normal morphologic variations of the size and shape of women's breasts”.
In prior art, bras are manufactured based on a standard diameter measurement based on breast volume and a standard projection measurement based on the relationship between the underbust measurement and the overbust measurement and an around the body measurement. Based on these industry standard measurements, the choices the customer has in actual fit variation is limited.
The invention recognizes the deficiencies in prior art practices of designing from an idealized fit model and using a tight (fit to form) breast root measurement to determine cup size. Using a tight (fit to form) breast root measurement at the inframammary fold which is a standard method in the industry for proper cup design and engineering, and using a limited selection of standards in sizes, does not properly accommodate a large percentage of the female population. Prior art, does not accommodate many of the variations of body and breast shapes using the above standards. Many women fall outside the fit range of the “ideal” fit model. These women have limited options from which to choose.
To determine sizing, it is generally accepted in the industry to determine size as a function of the diaphragm dimension, the around the body chest dimension and the bust dimension. The accepted industry measurements include two basic around the body measurements, the diaphragm measurement which determines the enumerated brassiere size (which is taken around the body below the breasts) and the body chest dimension which is taken around the body along the high points (areola) of the breasts. In general, cup volume is determined by computing the bust size based upon the difference in measurement between the actual chest measurement and the bust measurement. For example, the following may be used: if the bust is less than 1 inch larger then than the chest, the cup size is AA; if the bust is 1 inch larger than the chest, the cup size is A; and if the bust is 2 inches larger than the chest, the cup size is B etc.
Breasts have a diameter measurement and a projection measurement-distance the breast tissue protrudes from your chest. When you select a cup size like a C or a D, you are making a breast projection measurement selection. The breast diameter measurement is pre-determined by the manufacturer and built into each band size. The breast diameter is a determination of volume and projection for a particular size. The diameter reflects a tight breast root trace of the breast tissue. So, changing your band size also changes your underwire (or wireless) diameter. Going from a 34C to a 36C takes you up one breast diameter measurement. Going from a 34C to a 36B keeps the same breast diameter measurement. This is why going up a band size means you also need to go down a cup size if you want to keep the same cup volume.
Manufacturers use the exact same underwire size in multiple band sizes. For example, the actual underwire used in a 36B is the exact same underwire used in a 34C, 32D and 30E. All of these bras have the same breast diameter; just different breast projection measurements in relation to the band size—but all have the same cup volume.
Accordingly, the prior art patents exhibit numerous disadvantages and problems for providing a correct fitting and correct looking brassiere.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,425,170 to Victor Herbert, Stewart Chapman, describes the underwire of their invention. In the background of the invention it is stated: “brassieres are commonly worn by women under their clothing to support their breasts. A brassiere, more commonly known to consumers as a bra, typically includes cups to support the breasts and wing portions that attach to the cups and encircle the upper torso of the woman to hold the bra on the woman's body. Some bra designs also utilize an armature, or flexible wire under the cups, to provide additional support for the breasts. However, some underwire configurations can lead to pinching, digging, and other discomfort after the bra is fastened to the woman's body due in part to an underwire that is not specifically formed to fit the user's breast. Additionally, some underwire and wing configurations can lead to unattractive bulging of the cup when the bra is worn by the woman. It is thus desirable to provide an underwire bra design that is configured to minimize pinching and discomfort of the wearer, as well as provide a better fit and appearance when worn by a woman”.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,855 to Tatsuya Kusakabe, Norinobu Shiraiwa discloses an instrument for measuring breast shape. The patent describes the differences in breasts and variations in measurements relied upon for bra design. “In the clothing such as a brassiere and the like which have cups for supporting the breasts, the size of the lower cup part is important. The volume of the lower cup part, which is determined from the sum of the horizontal length and the vertical length of the breast across the bottom area (verg's line (the circular arch underneath each of the breasts), should correspond to the solid size of the breast.
The upper cup part of the brassiere is generally sewn on or continuous to the lower cup part, and the brassiere design is relatively free with regard to a portion from the size of the over cup part to the chest part. Thus, if the lower cup part is fit to the breasts of the user, the upper cup part can easily be fit to the breast.
There are many types of the cup shape of the clothing, and the cups are not designated by the same standard. For example, in many types of the brassiere such as a type for fully supporting the breasts, a type for pushing the breast to the center of the human body, or a type for pulling up the breasts upwardly, the volume of the breasts will be changed by the function of the brassiere which is to be enhanced, so that the sizes of the cups such as the bottom area, vertical length and the horizontal length of the cup are changed.
In the brassiere, there are many types, for example, a full cup brassiere with underwire, three-fourth cup brassiere with underwire, one-half cup brassiere with underwire, full cup no underwire brassiere and so on. Accordingly, when the size of the lower cup part is decided, the cup size can also be decided. For deciding the size of the lower cup part, the sizes of the verg's line of the breast, the horizontal length and the vertical length of the breast are important. Even if the verg's lines of the breast are the same, the horizontal length of the breast as well as the vertical length of the breast may vary due to the differences in the volume of the breasts. For instance, a breast with a large volume has greater horizontal length, vertical length and sum of these lengths than a breast with a smaller volume, even if the verg's line of the breast are the same. Therefore, the cup size must be arranged in consideration of the sum of the horizontal and vertical lengths.
On the other hand, even if the breast shapes are different, the shapes of the cups can be the same as long as the verg's line of the breast and the sum of the vertical and horizontal lengths of the breast are identical. For instance, if a nipple is positioned in the center of the breast, the horizontal length of the breast across the nipple is smaller than that of the breast with its nipple positioned at the lower part of the breast and projected more forward the front of the former breast; the length between the nipple and the verg's line of the breast, on the other hand, is larger than that of the latter breast. However, if the latter breast is moved up, the nipple is shifted upward, thus increasing the vertical length, lowering the height of the breast and reducing the horizontal length. In other words, the shape of the latter breast becomes identical to that of the former breast.
If a person whose verg's line of the breast is larger, but the breasts are relatively flat has the same value of the sum of the horizontal length and the vertical length of breast as that of a person whose verg's line of the breast is smaller than that of the former, but the breast is more protruded, they have respectively different verg's lines of the breast. Thus, they choose different cup sizes.
In case of actually selecting the cup sizes, the design of the cup is a little changed responding to the kinds of the cups, such as full cup, three-fourth cup, one-half cup, and the like.
FIGS. 3 and 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,855 are depicted in FIG. 21 of the present specification.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the instrument for measuring breast shape of the first embodiment comprises a base member 51, a vertical tape measure 54 and a horizontal tape measure 56. The base member 51 has a substantially half-circular edge part 52 which is to be put along the base line of a breast of a female body. Furthermore, the base member 51 has a breast supporting guide 53 provided along the substantially half-circular edge part 52 which protrudes like a visor. An end 55a of the vertical tape measure 54 is fixed on the base member 51 in the vicinity of the lowest position 60 of the half-circular edge part 52. The lowest position 60 corresponds to the lowest position of the verg's line of the breast. The verg's line is the circular arc under beneath of each breast. The vertical tape measure 54 is to be used for measuring the vertical length of the breast between the nipple and the lowest position of the verg's line of the breast (hereinafter abbreviated as “vertical length of the breast”). An end 57a of the horizontal tape measure 56 is fixed on the base member 51 in the vicinity of the first highest position 61 of the base member 51. The first highest position 61 corresponds to the highest position of the verg's line of the breast at the side of the human body. The horizontal tape measure 56 is to be used for measuring the horizontal length of the breast across the nipple (herein after abbreviated as “horizontal length of the breast”). A slit 58 is provided on the base member 51 in the vicinity of the second highest position 59 of the base member 51. The second highest position 59 corresponds to the highest position of the verg's line of the breast in the vicinity of the center of the bust of the female body. A free end 57b of the horizontal tape measure 56 is to be put in the slit 58. A pair of guide hooks 62 are provided on the base member 51 at positions below the breast supporting guide 53. In this embodiment, each guide hook 62 has a hook shape by which the instrument for measuring the breast shape is to be hooked on such as a string or a tape. The base member 51 further has a holder 63 by which the instrument is manually handled. A mark 64 is provided on the base member 51 in the vicinity of the second highest position 59 or the slit 58 for showing the position which is to be put on the center of the bust of the female body.
While it is not necessarily always the case, generally the length of a first member of the substantially half-circular edge part 52, which is from the lowest position 60 to the first highest position 61, is a little longer than that of a second member, which is from the lowest position 60 to the second highest position 59. The curvature of the first member is generally larger than that of the second member. Thus, instruments intended for use with the right breast or the left breast can be prepared, and the mark 64 is provided on the base member 51 to distinguish between the instruments for the right breast and for the left breast. For example, the instrument shown in FIG. 1 is for the left breast, since the mark 64 is shown in the left hand in the figure.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the instrument is put on the breast 70 of a female body. In this case, the guide hooks 62 of the base member 51 are hooked on a tape measure 71. The vertical and horizontal tape measures 54 and 56 respectively have graduations 54a and 56a. Units of the graduations 54a and 56a can be freely graduated. The graduations 54a and 56a graduated by an original unit such as A, B, C . . . , and the like can be acceptable, as long as they can measure the length. As is obvious from FIG. 4, it is preferable that the base member 51 has a shape in each section along the curve of the female body”.
The teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,855 above describes the measurement for the circular arch underneath the breasts (“verg's line) as the determining factor of the cup size and shows there are many variables to breast measurement and related bra sizing, bra design and engineering that affects the proper measurement and fit of a bra.
According to Foundations Revealed: “In the industry a single “core size” block is “graded” (adjusted) to produce the other sizes in the range. The bra block is based on the assumption of an aesthetic optimum shape, a wire that is principally semicircular, a uniform diameter increment between wire diameters and a uniform volume increment between wire diameters. Underwires are designed to have some spring. Made out of heavy gauge wire, sheet metal or plastic, they splay or spread wider once a bra is put on and fastened. Then they return to their original shape when the bra is taken off. This springing or splay gives additional support to your breasts. If your breasts are wider than the splayed diameter of the underwire, over time the pressure and weight of your breasts can cause an underwire to break in half. Wire breakage can also occur if your band size is too small and thus over-splaying the underwires.
Breasts have a natural “crease line” (inframammary fold) where the underwire should fit comfortably against the ribcage. The diameter of the underwire is too small if the underarm end is poking breast tissue, or catches the arm as it moves forward. The diameter of the underwire is too large if the underarm end is poking into the armpit. The best underwire is one that encircles the breast, giving a more rounded and defined look. Women short in stature usually find that underwires poke them under their arms. An instant solution is to select demi cup bras—the wires are shorter and thus will not poke.
Cups give a hemi-spherical shape to breasts and underwires give shape to cup”.
In the study entitled “Breast Sizing and Development of 3D Seamless Bra” Zheng Rong teaches:
“The global average radius of curvature was re-defined for “outer breast under curvature”, “inner breast under curvature”, and “under breast curvature” according to 15 key points around the breast bottom line in the current study. Point 1 is the outer-most point at the intersection of the cross-section through bust point and the breast root curve, whereas point 15 is the inner-most point at the crossing. Point 7 is the lower-most point of the breast bottom line located at the vertical-section through bust point. Then the outer breast under curve was divided into 6 equal portions between point 1 and point 7, whilst the inner breast under curve was segmented into 8 equal fractions from point 7 to point 15. Subsequently, the three global average radii of curvatures were measured based on outer-most point (point 1), point 4, lower-most point (point 7), point 11 and inner-most point
The global average radius of curvature was used to characterize the breast bottom line. In 2D, the radius of curvature at a point is defined as the radius of the kissing circle that is tangential to the curve at that point. As discussed by Lee et al. (2004), the magnitude of the radius and the direction of circles varied greatly when utilizing the radius of curvature to analyze the breast root curve. “Global average radius of curvature” was therefore suggested as an evaluating parameter and was defined as the radius of the circle passing through three non collinear points.
Bra cup design is necessarily related to the breast shape. It is very important to measure the volume of whole body, upper torso, chest area and breast for evaluation of the breast shape and the whole body shape.
The breast volume is a very essential dimension related to bra design. Although the volume of a breast can be visualized using the 3D body scan data, it is very difficult to obtain accurate natural breast volumes because the borderline of the breast is not clear enough to be defined separately from the body surface. Medical research studies have investigated breast volume measurements for asymmetry assessment or breast surgery. In contrast, there is limited information relevant to the investigation of the 3D breast shape in the apparel industry. Moreover, many previous studies ignored the curved character of the 3D breast base. Most of the studies assume that the breast base is a circle and the breast bulk is a cone (Lee et al., 2004). D127 Global average radius of curvature of the under breast curve: the radius of the circle passing through outer-most point (point 1), lower-most point (point 7) and inner-most point (point 15). D128 Global average radius of curvature of outer breast under curve: the radius of the circle passing through outer-most point (point 1), point 4 and lower-most point (point 7). D129 Global average radius of curvature of inner breast under curve: the radius of the circle passing through lower-most point (point 7), point 11 and inner-most point (point 15)“.
In Foundations Revealed “How to Make a Bra” it is taught “to take a breast root trace with a flexicurve, you have to make sure the flexicurve (measuring device) is up against the point around where your breast tissue joins the chest wall. This is the same point around the breast where the underwire of a correctly fitting bra should sit, not on the breast tissue (pain) and not away from the breast (poor fit)”.
It is instructed in the industry to fit underwires, the same underwires are used for the cups of sizes 36A, 34B, 32C, 30D etc. . . . so those cups have the same volume. The reference numbers of underwire sizes are based on a B cup bra, for example underwire size 32 is for 32B cup (and 34A, 30C . . . ). An underwire size 30 width has a curvature diameter of 3-inch ⅚≈9.7 cm and this diameter increases by ⅓ inch≈0.847 cm by size. The table below shows volume calculations for some cups that can be found in a ready-to-wear large size shop.
UnderwireBra size (USBra size KCupVolume ofWeight of bothsizesystem)system)diameterone cupbreasts3032A 30B 28C32A 30B 28C 9.7 cm (3   240 cc0.43 kg (0.95 lb)in 5/6)(0.51 US pt)3234A 32B 30C 28D34A 32B 30C 28D10.6 cm (4  310 cc0.56 kg (1.21b)in 1/6)(0.66 US pt)3436A 34B 32C 30D36A 34B 32C 30D11.4 cm (4  390 cc0.70 kg (1.51b)28E28DDin 1/2)(0.82 US pt)3638A 36B 34C 32D38A 36B 34C 32D12.3 cm (4  480 cc0.86 kg (1.91b)30E 28F30DD 28Ein 5/6)(1.0 US pt)3840A 38B 36C 34D40A 38B 36C 34D13.1 cm (5  590 cc 1.1 kg (2.41b)32E 30F 28G32DD 30E 28Fin 1/6)(1.2 US pt) 4042A 40B 38C 36D42A 40B 38C 36D14.0 cm (5  710 cc 1.3 kg (2.91b)34E 32F 30G 28H34DD 32E 30Fin 1/2)(1.5 US pt) 28FF 4244A 42B 40C 38D44A 42B 40C 38D14.8 cm (5  850 cc 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)36E 34F 32G 30H 36DD 34E 32Fin 5/6)(1.8 US pt) 28I30FF 28G 4444B 42C 40D 38E44B 42C 40D15.7 cm (61,000 cc 1.8 kg (4.01b)36F 34G 32H 30I38DD 36E 34Fin 1/6)(2.1 US pt) 28J32FF 30G 28GG 4644C 42D 40E 38F44C 42D 40DD16.5 cm (61,180 cc 2.1 kg (4.61b)36G 34H 32I 30J38E 36F 34FF 32Gin 1/2)(2.5 US pt) 28K30GG 28H 4844D 42E 40F 38G44D 42DD 40E17.4 cm (61,370 cc 2.5 kg (5.51b)36H 34I 32J 30K38F 36FF 34Gin 5/6)(2.9 US pt) 28L32GG 30H 28HH 5044E 42F 40G 38H44DD 42E 40F18.2 cm (71,580 cc 2.8 kg (6.21b)36I 34J 32K 30L38FF 36G 34GGin 1/6)(3.3 US pt) 28M32H 30HH 28J 5244F 42G 40H 38I44E 42F 40FF 38G19.0 cm (71,810 cc 3.3 kg (7.3 lb)36J 34K 32L 30M36GG 34H 32HHin 1/2)(3.8 US pt) 28N30J 28JJ 5444G 42H 40I 38J44F 42FF 40G19.9 cm (72,060 cc 3.7 kg (8.21b)36K 34L 32M 30N38GG 36H 34HHin 5/6)(4.4 US pt) 28O32J 30JJ 28K 5644H 42I 40J 38K44FF 42G 40GG20.7 cm (82,340 cc 4.2 kg (9.3 lb)36L 34M 32N 30O38H 36HH 34Jin 1/6)(4.9 US pt) 28P32JJ 30K 28KK 5844I 42J 40K 38L44G 42GG 40H21.6 cm (82,640 cc 4.8 kg (11 lb)36M 34N 32O 30P38HH 36J 34JJin 1/2)(5.6 US pt)32K 30KK6044J 42K 40L 38M44GG 42H 40HH22.4 cm (83,000 cc 5.3 kg (12 lb)36N 34O 32P38J 36JJ 34Kin 5/6)(6.3 US pt)32KK
The underwire defines your breast's diameter, a cup size defines your breast's projection or cup depth. Cup sizing is alphabetical—A, B, C, D etc.
In Pattern School, it is taught “the first step in determining your bra size, is your band size. Cup size is estimated by subtracting the under bust (band) measurement from the bust measurement and comparing the result to the table below. Each cup has a fit range of 2.5 cm. Again this table is suited to Australian bras only. International countries use different values to achieve the same task. Be careful when ordering ‘equivalent’ bras from overseas because if they use inches then the larger sizes are not actually equivalent thanks to 1″ being 2.54 cm and not 2.5 cm!
Bust-UnderbustCup Size6.5-8 cmAA cup8-10.5 cmA cup10.5-13 cmB cup13-15.5 cm C cup15.5-18 cmD cup18-20.5 cmDD cup20.5-23 cmE cup
As far as making patterns goes, the next thing to consider are the underwires. For a single cup size you can get a half coverage wire, a full coverage wire and even an extra long wire. Their shapes may vary a little but for a single manufacturer they just tend to change length rather than change arch diameter.
Most wire manufacturers do follow the 1″ increment system meaning you will have one wire that suits several different cup sizes. For example, an 8D uses the same wire as a 10C or a 12B or 14A.
Similar Wires10A, 8B12A, 10B, 8C14A, 12B, 10C, 8D16A, 14B, 12C, 10D, 8DD18A, 16B, 14C, 12D, 10DD18B, 16C, 14D, 12DD, 10E20B, 18C, 16D, 14DD, 12E
There is a great amount of debate in which purists say manufacturers should create bras to fit dozens of different shaped breasts and not just volumes. As it is there are several cups for each band size, and if we went to several shapes for each of those cup volumes for each band, the sheer logistics would spiral into an economic and practical impossibility.
The breast can change shape reasonably well for its volume and the amount of discomfort usually increases with the degree it's distorted.
The ‘aesthetic optimum’ consists of a lower quarter spheroid and a slightly elongate upper quarter spheroid. If your breast doesn't fit this shape, it means you end up looking for a bra cup to suit your breast volume which will have a wire that doesn't properly fit the natural curve of your breast. While there is some variation among manufacturers you will always be limited by the commercially viable standard sizes”.
In Foundations Revealed, Mark Garbarcyk discusses the problem with bra grading in industry. “When we want to change the size of a bra pattern/block we could draft a new block for the new size, but in the industry a single “core size” block is “graded” (adjusted) to produce the other sizes in the range.
Take, as an example, the British bra size system. There are 16 cup sizes, AA-A-B-C-D-DD-E-F-FF-G-GG-H-HH-J-K-L, and 6 band sizes from 30″-40″. That makes 96 size options. Multiply that by 2 colourways (ie making white and black bras), and you and your company potentially have 192 different bras to make!
BUT what if you could use parts of one size bra in a different size bra? You can! Welcome to the world of bra CROSS GRADING. If you take the cups and the cradle/underwires of a 34B bra and shorten the wings by the right amount, you have a 32C bra! Likewise, if you lengthen the wings on the cups and the cradle/underwires of a 34B bra by the right amount you will have a 36A bra! The same goes for other Cup/cradle sizes: —the cups/cradle of a 38D bra are the same size cups/cradle as a 40C bra, and 36DD bra and a 34E bra, and so on and so on. The table below shows cross grading using EN 13402 standard cup lettering.
Same cups and cradle30A32AA34AAASame cups and cradle30B32A34AASame cups and cradle30C32B34A36AASame cups and cradle 30D32C34B36ASame cups and cradle 30E32D34C36B38ASame cups and cradle30F32E34D36C38B40ASame cups and cradle30G 32F34E36D38C40BSame cups and cradle30H32G34F36E38D40CSame cups and cradle30J 32H34G36F38E40DSame cups and cradle30K 32J34H36G38F 40EThis cross grading system is also used for bra underwires: the underwires that are used in a 34B bra can also be used in a 36A bra, and so on.
The antiquated way in which women are measured for a bra is far from satisfactory, as it does not take into account the volume of the individual breasts and the variations in back size. For UK sizing, measure in inches around the chest just under the breasts, then add 5″ if the measurement is an odd number or add 4″ if the measurement is an even number. This is your “Band size”—30, 32, 34, 36 and so on.
Now measure around the bust at its fullest part and take the band measurement (+5 or +4) away from this measurement. The difference—1″, 2″, 3″, 4″—indicates your cup size.